Roy, Patrick
Hockey
b. Oct. 5, 1965, Quebec, Quebec
The winner of the NHL's Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender in 1989, 1990, and 1992, Roy played in just one game with the Montreal Canadiens in 1984-85 and became one of the team's goalies the following season, sharing duties with Brian Hayward.
Roy won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the 1986 Stanley Cup playoffs, when he had a 15-5 record with a 1.92 goals-against average. He led the NHL with a 2.47 average in 1988-89 and a 2.36 average in 1991-92.
After losing their first 1993 playoff game in overtime, the Canadiens won 10 consecutive overtime games, with Roy recording more than 90 shutout minutes under the pressure of "sudden death." He was the easy winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as Montreal won its twenty-fourth Stanley Cup.
Asked about the Montreal mystique, Quebec coach Pierre Page replied, "How do you spell mystique? It's spelled R-O-Y."
But on Dec. 2, 1995, the Canadiens had a terrible game, and Roy was part of it. They lost to the Detroit Red Wings, 12-1, in the Montreal Forum, the worst home loss in history. Roy gave up 9 goals before Coach Mario Tremblay finally took him out during the second period. Humiliated, Roy announced that he would no longer play for Montreal. He was traded to the Colorado Avalanche, and he won his third Stanley Cup with them the following spring.
Roy became as big a hero in Colorado as he been in Montreal after he helped the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup again after the 2000-01 season. The goalie won the Conn Smythe Trophy for a third time.
He retired after the 2002-03 season. Roy was the first goalie in NHL history to play in 1,000 games and he's the all-time leader in wins with 551. He ranks thirteenth all-time with 66 shutouts.